Lavender Ricotta Toast

Lavender is not a "put it on anything" kind of flavor. The bold, heady aroma needs to be harnessed to be enjoyed. You can't just let it run wild like cumin or garlic. But there is so much about French Lavender to appreciate! Its floral flavors are the taste of spring. Enter ricotta. This mild spreadable cheese is easy to make and a touch of lavender transforms it into a really special spread. Perfectly creamy for smearing on toast, the intensity of lavender is mellowed by the milk, and brings out the sweetness in the dairy. The resulting spread is delicious on its own, but here we garnished the toast with roasted beets, cherry tomatoes and pickled onion to make it a meal.

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Sumac Cauliflower Steak with El Greco Spelt Salad

Crusted with sumac and Alderwood smoked salt, this cauliflower steak is a healthy vegetarian entree full of texture and color. The dish is inspired by Mediterranean flavors that compliment summer vegetables, and it's accompanied by a hearty spelt grain salad tossed in El Greco Citronette. The salad has orange and lemon juice for acidity and garden herbs like oregano and basil. To finish the dish, we sprinkled on some chopped dried cranberries for tart and chewy sweetness, although dried tart cherries or dried blueberries would be delicious, too. This dish makes you feel like you're eating the rainbow!

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El Greco Citronette

A quick and easy dressing or marinade, this El Greco Citronette is bursting with flavors that enhance any Mediterranean dish. It brightens the flavors without overpowering, and can be used as a sauce, dressing or marinade. Next time you grill shrimp or fish, bathe it in this citronette and you won't be disappointed!

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Caraway and Dried Berry Loaf

Baking bread is a delightfully rewarding cooking journey, watching what was once a blob of dough emerge as a warm loaf from the oven. This recipe is great for beginners. It's easy and doesn’t require fancy equipment, but give yourself some lead time as the dough does need to sit in the refrigerator overnight. The texture and flavors are what is really special about this loaf. The dried cranberries give you a tangy fruity burst in every bite, and the caraway is a perfect complement. Enjoy this bread toasted with your favorite cup of tea or with a hearty soup or stew.

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Orange, Cinnamon and Cranberry Tart

Spring 2020. I was craving pie. Sadly, I had no flour and no fresh fruit, aside from an old orange. Thus, the Cranberry and Orange Tart was born out of pure necessity. Dried cranberries were used here, but dried tart cherries can easily be substituted. For this, the crust is made out of saltines, and so the sweet-tart-salty complexity is a flavor explosion. Adding a touch of Indonesian cinnamon and ginger powder enhances these flavors. The saltine crust is just fun, and much less labor intensive to make than tart dough. This is what you get when you play with your food!

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Mary’s Salsa Roja

This is my Mom's recipe. The smell of this sauce perfumed my childhood weekly. Native to Chihuahua in Northern Mexico, this salsa roja is the base for many staple dishes in Mexican cuisine. Guajillo chiles are the foundation and they get seasoned with garden herbs like Mexican oregano, thyme, bay leaf and garlic. If you've never played with whole chiles, this sauce is a great staple to learn.

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Spring Spaghetti with Dukkah Creme Fraiche

Plan ahead to create this spectacular Spring Spaghetti, because it is worth the wait! The crème fraîche takes a day and a half to culture, so patience is required, but whether you make it for yourself, make it for Mother's Day or just make it for fun, once you do, it will become a decadent staple. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend with marjoram and thyme mixed with lightly toasted cumin and coriander. The spices are combined with chopped hazelnuts. The complex flavors and texture infuse the crème fraîche and perfectly complement the spaghetti and spring vegetables. Once you have the crème fraîche, this pasta is fast and easy to make and full of seasonal flavor!

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Cooling Green Tea Punch

Get ready for warm weather with this Cooling Green Tea Punch! We like to keep iced tea on hand all summer long, and this combination of green and herbal makes a wonderful cocktail base. Try it with Rwandan Green for a mild flavor, or with Gunpowder Green for a stronger green tea taste. Mellow and cooling Spearmint is your summer mint tea best friend! White rum, nutmeg and lime lend Caribbean flourish to make your cocktail hour feel as good as a beach vacation.

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Jerk Scallop & Mango Ceviche

The fresh flavors are incredible in this Jerk Scallop & Mango Ceviche It is easy to make, and this party-sized batch will be a welcome addition to your next gathering as an appetizer or side dish. Citrus and mango are the perfect complement to the scallops, and our Jerk Seasoning brings Caribbean spicing to the mix. It has allspice, thyme, ginger and a friendly amount of habanero. The sweet mango and creamy avocado meld with the scallops, contrasted with a crunch of onion and bell pepper for the perfect bite. Cilantro and chive give additional pops of flavor in this sunny dish.

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